Prime Minister Edouard Philippe says a balance must be struck between restarting life and the economy Important restrictions will remain in place — particularly for travel, urban public transport and schools PARIS: The French prime minister has given the green light to start ending a strict two-month lockdown throughout France on Monday, even though the coronavirus is still circulating in four regions, including Paris. Laying out a sort of how-to manual for the progressive reopening of France, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe says a balance must be struck between restarting life and the economy while guarding against a second wave of the pandemic, which has left more than 26,000 people dead in France since March 1. Philippe held out the possibility that backsliding in fighting the pandemic could mean back-pedaling on the freedom from confinement starting next week. Important restrictions will remain in place — particularly for travel, urban public transport and schools — until the situation is reassessed in early June. Restaurants and bars are to remain closed for now, along with most beaches. Britain’s foreign secretary is stressing that any changes to social distancing and lockdown measures will be “modest and incremental” to avoid a second peak, as the country’s total death toll reaches 30,615. Asked about changes to lockdown rules expected to be announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday, Dominic Raab says “It’s a very dangerous moment, we need to proceed with caution.” He said the R-rate, the rate of infection, is between 0.5 and 0.9. National statistician Ian Diamond added that the lowest R-rate is “probably in London.”